Up The Ladder of Darkness
by Hammerschlag
Summary: Lyon, a disgruntled war veteran, is trying to get ahead in a continent where corporations control governments. Meanwhile, his brother-in-law Ephraim is working to clean up the corrupt system and bring the leaders of the corporations to justice. This is their story. Modern AU.
1. Prologue I: Lyon

**Here we are! The beginning of my first Modern AU. This is, for the most part, an original idea, and I hope to one day modify and publish it as an original work. I'm uploading a version to FFn as sort of a beta-run.**

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Captain Lyon Salazar of the Plegian Army was finally coming home to his wife, Eirika. The five-year war between Plegia and Ylisse was brutal, resulting in the assassinations of leaders on both sides, but it was over. The Plegian officer had been honorably discharged and guaranteed a pension, however abysmal.

The moment the veteran walked through the door, his wife's eyes lit up like the sun on Midsummer's Day.

"Lyon!" Eirika cheered, rushed over to her husband, kissed him, and wrapped him in her arms for a rather long moment, "I was so worried about you! So many people died in the war and I was afraid you might have been one of them! I couldn't even read the newspapers I was so scared!"

"I'm fine, honey, I'm fine. The war was terrible, but at least it's over. I've been honorably discharged, and now I'm ready to move on," the veteran smiled.

"Can it wait? Now that you're back, I have a few plans of my own I'd like to go over with you," Eirika smirked seductively.

"I think it can," Lyon responded in kind, "what exactly do you have in mind?"

"Follow me and I'll show you!" Eirika took her husband's hand and guided him to their bedroom to celebrate his return.

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The next morning, Eirika woke up to find her husband already wide awake, clothed in his military dress uniform.

"Honey, what's going on?" she asked, got out from under the bedsheets and went to her dresser to pick out her clothes for the day.

"I scheduled an interview with RAI's security director, Henry Gould. From what I've heard, the executives over there often take subordinates under their wings, teach them everything they know and name them their successors. If they take a liking to me, I could potentially become so wealthy we could have whatever we want, whenever we want it!"

"That's really wishful thinking, Lyon."

"What makes you say that? My military experience should make me most desirable!"

"N-no, I'm not saying you can't get into the company… I just feel that becoming an executive is a very lofty goal, and I don't want you to be disappointed if you never get there."

"I understand, but I have to try; I won't get anywhere if I don't."

"And I will support you to whatever end," Eirika smiled and kissed her husband.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Lyon looked at the Caller ID and saw that it was Ephraim Rosenberg, the Police Commissioner and Eirika's older brother.

"Hello?"

"Lyon? Is that you? I didn't know you were home!"

"Just got back last night, Eph. I would have called you, but… well… your sister had other ideas."

"I _really_ don't need to hear about what you and Eirika do when the two of you are alone."

"I understand… guess I'd feel the same if I were in your position. So, what's up?"

"Got a call from Ike Green yesterday."

"You mean the new kid at the Ylissean Intelligence Bureau?"

"Yeah, that's the one. He said his father was really excited about something – but wouldn't say why – and he hoped I would know."

"Do you?"

"No, and neither does Titania, even though she's Director Green's adjutant."

"If you ask me, he's probably planning another bust on Remming Industries… for the hundredth time. You'd think he'd give up after so many attempts; I mean, he's never even gotten authorization."

"Well, I've heard that there's a new ADA named Zelgius who's kind of a white knight; maybe he can convince one of the judges to sign a warrant."

"God, I hope not. Frederick Remming is a dangerous man, and I'd hate to see something happen to the Director."

"So would I; Greil's a very close friend of mine."

"Well, it was nice to hear from you, but I have a job interview to go to and I really don't want to be late."

"An interview? Already?"

"Army pensions are terrible; I need more money if I'm going to support a family. Although, I admit I was surprised at how quickly they responded; I only applied a few days ago."

"That is strange. In any case, I don't want to hold you, so I'll let you go; can I have a word with my sister?"

"Sure thing. See you around, Eph."

"Yeah, see you." As soon as Ephraim finished his sentence, Lyon handed the phone to Eirika, who greeted her brother warmly. Knowing their conversations tended to go on for at least half an hour, the veteran simply smiled, mouthed goodbye to his wife and left for RAI's headquarters.

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 **Well, that's the first prologue. Author's Notes can be found on my blog, the link for which is on my profile page.  
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	2. Prologue II: Ephraim

**Time to introduce Ephraim. Enjoy!**

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Ephraim Rosenburg had been the Police Commissioner of Renais for two years, but no amount of time could make his job easier. No matter what, he could never secure an important arrest. There was so much corruption in the city… in the _country_ … and there was nothing he could do.

He pulled his car up to the 1st Precinct – where the office of the Chief of Police, Seth Marshall, was located – for his monthly inspection, which he expected to be no different than the last thousand inspections he oversaw. When he entered the building, Seth immediately got out of his office to greet him.

"Already time for another inspection, Commissioner?"

"It's been a month, Marshall."

"Not a quiet one, sir. I know I shouldn't be saying this, but it's a welcome change. Things can get so droll when all the criminals either kill each other or get killed by those damn Private Military Contractors before we can find them. Guess the mercenaries have been occupied elsewhere. I still can't believe those are legal."

"And I still can't believe you don't use acronyms. You're the only guy I know who doesn't call them PMC's," Ephraim teased, trying to lighten the mood, though he himself was feeling depressed.

Seeing right through his façade, Seth directed the Commissioner to his office where they could talk privately while the latter's men carried out the inspection.

"Alright Eph, I know that look. What's wrong this time?" the Chief sighed and poured his friend a glass of scotch.

"We've been trying to clean up the corruption in this city our entire careers, Seth; where has it gotten us? The few low-level cronies we've actually managed to arrest were all cleared within a week, and whenever we try going after bigger fish, all we get are a string of murders the DA is too afraid to prosecute. I feel like I've failed in my duty," Ephraim buried his face in his hands as he sat down.

"Hey, Director Greil Green himself can't even _touch_ Remming – a corporation commonly known as the most corrupt organization in recent history – and he has far more experience, money and resources than you could ever dream of."

"Green's a friend of mine, and I hold him in the highest respect, but that's Ylisse – Remming Industries practically owns their government. I'm not going after corporations that big; just ones like Reinhardt Autos, whose security division investigates and eliminates potential competitors before they even enter the market."

"Trouble is, you can't prove they do that before a court."

"Yes I can! I just have to find an attorney and a judge willing–"

"And somehow ensure their safety. Reinhardt has eyes and ears everywhere; if they even suspect they're in danger of legal trouble, they'll send in their psychopath of a security chief Henry Gould. How exactly do you plan on fighting someone with military-grade weaponry?"

"We don't. We arrest him and his people before they have a chance to defend themselves, then after they're in custody we get them to confess."

"Let's say you actually get an arrest warrant. Their security officers are professionals; there is no way any of them would break under questioning. How do you plan get one to confess?"

"The same way they did it back in the old days – sleep deprivation."

"Which is now illegal."

"Not against terrorists."

"Gould isn't officially recorded as a terrorist, and we don't have the authority to put him on the watch list."

"And that's where we're stuck – we don't have the authority to do anything by ourselves!"

"Eph…"

"The one thing I've been pondering these past few months is how we can get it. The courts are too afraid, the politicians are either corrupt, powerless or dead, and the military is too focused on recovering from the war." Before Seth could respond, Ephraim's men knocked on the office door,

"Commissioner, we've completed the inspection."

"And?"

"No problems, sir. Everything meets your standards."

"Good. Get ready to go to the next precinct," Ephraim stood up, said farewell to Seth and departed.

After completing his last inspection, an exhausted Ephraim returned home to his wife Tana. He announced his arrival, hugged his wife and promptly went to his bedroom to take a long nap.

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 **Yes, I know that was a short ending. I sat on it for two weeks, trying to figure out how to flesh it out, but I just could not think of anything that worked. Maybe I'll edit it in the future.**

 **FE:CSR Tale 9x Chapter 4 is next.**


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